Mrs Priddis is our PE Lead.

Through the teaching of Physical Education at Southmead Primary School and the range of sport clubs that we offer, we aim to promote a positive and inclusive culture which helps all children to develop the physical literacy, emotional and thinking skills to achieve in P.E., sport and in life. We provide children with the opportunity to practise and develop a range of fundamental balancing,   co-ordination and agility skills which can then be applied to a variety of different sporting disciplines, including swimming, dance, gymnastics and a wide range of net/ wall, striking and fielding and invasion games. As part of the Braunton Learning Co-operative Trust, we intend to provide the children with opportunities to take part in annual competitive sport and games, and to participate in a variety of sporting festivals which promotes inclusion for all. For all these opportunities, children are encouraged to compete and participate with a sense of fair play, respect and sportsmanship. By placing learners at the heart of each lesson, each child is enabled with skills to reflect on their learning not only in P.E. but also across all other parts of the curriculum.  

The curriculum is led and overseen by the PE lead. As PE lead, a programme of monitoring, evaluation and review and the celebration of good practice will contribute to the ongoing commitment to evolve and improve further. Our vision and intent for PE are implemented in the following ways:

• Southmead Primary School fully adheres to the aims of the National Curriculum for Physical Education to ensure all children develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities, are physically active for sustained periods of time, engage in competitive sports and activities and lead healthy, active lives.

• All pupils from EYFS to Year 6 have two dedicated P.E lessons every week, with further opportunities across the curriculum. Using the Get Set 4 PE programme, teachers plan and deliver lessons focussing on the development of the children’s fundamental movement skills (FMS) of balance, agility and co-ordination, which underpin all activities in PE. These units allow children to develop these skills in isolation and in combination. The reinforcement of the teaching points for FMS in all PE units further helps children to increase their competence.  Children are given the opportunity to practise and apply these skills in games-based lessons - invasion, net/wall, striking and fielding, and athletics, so they can develop strategical awareness and evaluate performance, whilst participation in the units of Gymnastics, Yoga and Dance supports the further development of strength, flexibility, technique, control, balance and sequences of movement patterns.  The core, child-centred approach of the Get Set 4 PE programme equally supports the development of pupils’ social, emotional and thinking skills, effective communication, collaboration, resilience and perseverance, which can subsequently be applied across the entire curriculum.

• Following the Devon Swim 100 programme, all pupils in Year 3 participate in 10 weeks of swimming lessons, as part of their P.E. curriculum, to support them being able to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres by the time they reach the end of Key stage 2. Pupils who have not reached that standard by the end of Year 3 are offered the opportunity to attend a further 10 weeks of ‘top-up’ swimming each year until they can swim a minimum of 25 metres.

• All children have the opportunity to participate in various sporting festivals organised within the Braunton Learning Co-operative Trust and by the local School Games Organiser, where inclusion is promoted and celebrated.  There are numerous opportunities for children to take part in a range of inter-school competitions, where children’s successes in sports are celebrated, regardless of the result. An increasing number of intra-school competitions, using Southmead’s house system, are also being organised to further encourage participation, competitiveness and good sportsmanship.

• The school runs a robust programme of active extra-curricular, after-school clubs run both by staff and external providers, which provide further active opportunities for pupils across the entire school. These clubs are fully inclusive and help pupils to further develop their competitive skills as well as helping to complement the selection of pupils to represent the school at relevant sporting competitions. We also take part in wider opportunities such as a Year 6 residential and Armed Forces Day.

• Southmead promotes and celebrates the activity of all children at its annual Sports Day, held during the Summer term. Competitive successes and the display of the school’s values of: respect, equality, self-confidence, perseverance, enjoyment, curiosity and trust, are rewarded with equal importance, enabling all children to feel valued for being active and successful.   

• Children are positive about PE and sport and are able to discuss why it can play an important role in developing a healthy lifestyle;

• Due to the child-centred approach of the Get Set 4 PE programme, all children experience success whatever their ability, and no matter who they are;

• Children are able to enjoy the competitive nature of sport in a safe environment;

• Children are improving their proficiency in specific sporting skills, strategic understanding, teamwork and evaluation;

• Children are deepening their understanding of the importance of aesthetics and creativity in dance and gymnastics;

• Children are developing and building their fundamental skills of agility, balance, coordination and appropriate speed;

• An increased percentage of children are taking part in competitive sport and active clubs organised through school and external to the school;

• The school has already achieved the School Games Mark Gold award and aims to maintain this achievement during the next academic year.  

EYFS PE CURRICULUM

Physical Education starts from birth, within the area of Physical Development in the Early Years Framework. All pupils within EYFS follow the Foundation stage Get Set 4 PE programme to start developing the fundamental skills which can then be built on as they progress through the school. Their enjoyment of activity is promoted through a fun, theme-based approach which can be adapted to wider areas of the EYFS curriculum.

This area of learning is split into the two areas of gross motor skills and fine motor skills. We believe that if the children develop their gross motor skills, their core strength and stamina will prepare them to successfully move onto developing their fine motor skills.  To support this transition, the children engage in a variety of fun activities such as; riding scooters, climbing our obstacle and fort, ‘Dough Disco’, ‘Write Dance’ and threading. We follow the whole school scheme of learning ‘Get Set 4 PE’. Our children love the variety of fun-based activities,  which develop the core fundamental skills of agility, balance and coordination.

Information regarding our PE and Sport Premium Action Plans and Impact Statements can be found here.

EYFS PE CURRICULUM

Physical Education starts from birth, within the area of Physical Development in the Early Years Framework. All pupils within EYFS follow the Foundation stage Get Set 4 PE programme to start developing the fundamental skills which can then be built on as they progress through the school.
Their enjoyment of activity is promoted through a fun, theme-based approach which can be adapted to wider areas of the EYFS curriculum.
This area of learning is split into the two areas of gross motor skills and fine motor skills. We believe that if the children develop their gross motor skills, their core strength and stamina will prepare them to successfully move onto developing their fine motor skills.  To support this transition, the
children engage in a variety of fun activities such as; riding scooters, climbing our obstacle and fort, ‘Dough Disco’, ‘Write Dance’ and threading. We follow the whole school scheme of learning ‘Get Set 4 PE’. Our children love the variety of fun-based activities, which develop the core fundamental skills of agility, balance and coordination.